Fitness shortcuts

Developing some muscle tone and smooth, dimple-free skin—without punishing my body by doing endless workouts—would float my laid-back boat. These tools are designed to make any exercise aim easily attainable.

The promise: Tone up while you stroll.

Why wear shoes that make you feel as if you’re walking barefoot on the sand, even when you’re on the sidewalk? Because they’ll get you into string-bikini shape without ever setting foot in a gym. MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) trainers were among the first sneakers created to sculpt and lift your leg and abdominal muscles as you stride, working your butt, calves and hamstrings more than ordinary kicks. Several companies make similar (and cheaper!) versions, including Reebok EasyTones and Skechers Shape-ups.

Lazy grade: A After the initial fatigue wore off (the shoes made my legs ache!), I was thrilled to find that my thighs and butt looked and felt firmer in only a couple of days.

The promise: Tighten your abs, minus millions of crunches.

The Slendertone Abdominal Muscle Toner is basically a belt with electrodes and pads; it pulses rhythmically on your stomach muscles, ostensibly contracting them, while you lounge on the sofa and read or watch TV. (The belt is small enough to wear under clothes, so you could, in theory, get an undercover ab workout at the office!) The downside: It feels like being gently and repeatedly shot in the gut with a Taser gun—or what I imagine that feels like, anyway. ($100 and up)

Lazy grade: B After a month of intermittent slender-Tasing (as I began to call it), I could feel—and see!—increased definition in my lower abs. That was thrilling, but it didn’t affect my obliques or upper-stomach muscles. I would give the gadget a higher grade had it sculpted the rest of my core.

The promise: Smooth cellulite as you sleep.

It may have an odd name, but FarmaCell Milk Shorts, made with threads derived from milk proteins, nylon and spandex, are a good lazy-girl-sleepwear choice (at least for those of us who sleep alone). They fit snugly around the thighs and belly and are built to diminish the appearance of cellulite by micromassaging it. ($69)

Lazy grade: A The shorts left a temporary fishnet pattern on my skin, but I noticed results within a few weeks: The skin on my thighs felt smoother, and my legs felt more toned all around. What more could a lazy girl want from a pair of shorts?